Cyber hackers broke into the server of Alchemist Marketing Talent Solutions Pvt Ltd, an advertising company, stole critical data, and demanded a ransom of Rs4.12 lakh in Bitcoin. The incident came to light when the company’s employees and officers were unable to log in to their internal system. While attempting to reset the password, they discovered that all data on the server had vanished.
The hackers identified themselves as "professionals" and claimed that, upon payment, not only would the data be restored, but the company would also receive technical advice to prevent future cyber attacks. The company was instructed to send proof of payment to a designated email address.
On behalf of the company, Pranay Ramaiyya, executive assistant to management, lodged a formal complaint with the Central Region Cyber Police. The police registered the case on May 19 under Section 308(2) (extortion) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Sections 65, 66, 43(F), and 43(A) of the Information Technology Act.
